century

/ˈsɛnt͡ʃʊɹi/

From Middle English centurie (“a count of one hundred (of anything); a division of the Roman army; century; a division of land”), from Old French centurie, from Latin centuria, from centum (“one hundred”). The most common modern use is a shortening of century of years.

inh

Holonyms: maniple, cohort, legion

A unit in ancient Roman army, originally of 100 army soldiers as part of a cohort, later of more varied sizes (but typically containing 60 to 70 or 80) soldiers or other men (guards, police, firemen), commanded by a centurion.

A political division of ancient Rome, meeting in the Centuriate Assembly.

(sports) A race a hundred units (as meters, kilometres, miles) in length.


phalanx

Borrowed from Latin phalanx or Ancient Greek φάλαγξ (phálanx, “battle order, array”). Doublet of phalange, planch, plancha, planche, and plank.

doublet

(historical, plural phalanxes) An ancient Greek and Macedonian military unit that consisted of several ranks and files (lines) of soldiers in close array with joined shields and long spears.


janissary

/ˈd͡ʒænəˌzeɹi/

]
From Italian giannizzaro, possibly via French janissaire or Spanish jenízaro, from Ottoman Turkish یڭیچری (yeniçeri), from یڭی (yeni, “new”) + چری (çeri, “soldier”). Compare Dutch janitsaar, German Janitschar. The word is attested from the early 16th century in English; the janissaries themselves date from the 14th century.

der

<i class="Latn mention" lang="tr">yeniçeri</i>

My Lord the great Commander of the worlde,
Besides fifteene contributory kings,
Hath now in armes ten thouſand Ianiſaries,
Mounted on luſty Mauritanian Steeds, […]

c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene iii:

Tom has his Eyes ſtill near a Cloſe, and was going on, when an unlucky horn'd Janizary, obſerving the Court ſomewhat uneaſy under their Indulgence, ran a Needle up to the Head in his moſt fleſhy Part, and made Tom wince, if not like a Mule, yet very much like his graver Sire that gave him his original Name.

1737, J. A. Purves, “Vision II”, in The Law and Lawyers Laid Open, in Twelve Visions. To which is Added, Plain Truth, in Three Dialogues, between Truma, Skinall, Dryboots, Three Attorneys, and Season a Bencher, London: Printed for T. Woodman; and J. Chrichley, →OCLC; republished Clark, N.J.: The Lawbook Exchange, 2006, →ISBN, page 38:

When a new Prince accedes to the Throne, it is cuſtomary to give each Janiſary 25 Dollars Gratification-money; and Six Deniers per Day Augmentation of Pay: Provided what he actually has do not exceed Six Solds. If a Janiſary marries, he muſt expect no Promotion; but after he has already reached the Rank of a Captain, he may then marry, and it will be no Obſtacle to his future Advancement. If a Janiſary is detected of any Fault, they carry him before the Aga, who chaſtiſes him, or orders him to be chaſtiſed by his Odo Bachi. Sometimes, according to the Offence, they baniſh them; but if a Janiſary’s Crime merits Death, they ſtrangle him in the Night-time, and caſt his Body into the Sea.

1743, Charles Perry, “Of the Spahees, and Their Officers”, in A View of the Levant: Particularly of Constantinople, Syria, Egypt, and Greece. In which Their Antiquities, Government, Politics, Maxims, Manners, and Customs, (with Many Other Circumstances and Contingencies) are Attempted to be Described and Treated on. In Four Parts, London: Printed for T. Woodward, between the Temple Gates in Fleet-street, and C. Davis, near Middle-Row, in Holborn, printers to the Royal Society; and J. Shuckburgh, at the Sun, near the Temple Gate, in Fleet-street, →OCLC, part I (Contains Observations and Remarks on the Advantageous Situation, Extent, Strength and Government, of the Othoman Empire; which are Preceded with a Brief Account of the Origin, Progress, and Present State of It, &c.), page 44:

[T]he writers against the constitution, seem to have taken pains to signalize their talent at misrepresentation. […] The authorities of a magistrate, in few instances greater, in some instances less, than those of a governor of New York, have been magnified into more than royal prerogatives. […] We have been taught to tremble at the terrific visages of murdering janisaries; and to blush at the unveiled mysteries of a future seraglio.

1788 March 11, Publius [pseudonym; Alexander Hamilton], The Federalist: A Collection of Essays, Written in Favour of the New Constitution, as Agreed upon by the Federal Convention, September 17, 1787. In Two Volumes, New York, N.Y.: Printed and sold by J. and A. M'Lean, No. 41, Hanover-Square, →OCLC; republished as “Number LXVII. By Mr. Hamilton. Concerning the Constitution of the President; a Gross Attempt to Misrepresent this Part of the Plan Detected.”, in The Federalist, on the New Constitution; Written in 1788, new (2nd) edition, Philadelphia, Pa.: Published by Benjamin Warner, No. 147, Market Street; William Greer, printer, Harrisburg, 1817, →OCLC, page 363:

After remaining a few days at Smyrna, we set out to pay a visit to the ruins of Ephesus, which are situated on the shore of the Gulf of Skalanova, about thirty-five miles south of Smyrna. Our equipage consisted of a Greek servant, Spiridon, or, as he was usually called, Spiro; Achmet, a janissary; and an old Smyrniot, proprietor of the horses which we rode.

1829, James Emerson, “Letter IV. Ephesus.”, in Letters from the Ægean, New York, N.Y.: Printed by J. & J. Harper, 82 Cliff St.; sold by Collins and Hannay, [et al.], →OCLC, page 71:

Under the Ottomans (1517–1798), it [the Cairo Citadel] was divided into three semi-independent parts: the northern enclosure contained the barracks of the Janissaries (the main corps in the Ottoman army); the lower areas in the west became the residence of the al-‘Azab (the locally recruited troops); and the southern section of the southern enclosure was occupied by the pasha sent from Istanbul and his troops.

1995, Nasser O. Rabbat, “The Citadel Today”, in The Citadel of Cairo: A New Interpretation of Royal Mamluk Architecture (Islamic History and Civilization, Studies and Texts; 14), Leiden, New York, N.Y.: E. J. Brill, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 18:

(historical) An infantry soldier, often of European Christian background from the Balkans as well as Eastern Europe and forcibly converted to Islam, in a former elite Turkish (Ottoman) guard (disbanded in 1826).

(by extension) Any Turkish soldier, particularly one escorting a traveller.

Here is a Proclamation for a Prince: that proclaims him in whoſe name it is emitted [James II of England], to be the greateſt Tyrant that ever lived in the world, and their Revolt who have diſowned him to be the juſteſt that ever was. For herein that Monſter of Prerogative is […] advanced […] to claim abſolute obedience, without reſerve of Conſcience, Religion, Honour, or Reaſon; not only that which ignorantly is called Paſſive, never to reſiſt him, not only on any Pretence, but for any Cauſe, even tho' he ſhould command his Popiſh Janizaries to murder and maſſacre all Proteſtants, which is the tender mercy and burning fervent charity of Papiſts; […]

1744, Alexander Shiels [i.e., Alexander Shields], “Period VI. Containing the Testimony through the Continued Tract of the Present Deformation, from the Year 1660 to this Day.”, in A Hind Let Loose: Or, An Historical Representation of the Testimonies of the Church of Scotland, for the Interest of Christ; with the True State thereof in All Its Periods: …, Edinburgh: Reprinted by R. Drummond and Company, and sold by William Gray bookbinder in the Grassmarket, and several others, &c., →OCLC, pages 167–168:

The debate must be maintained until the third reading of the corn bill had been agreed to by the house of lords. What a situation! […] Power, place, patronage might reward those who upheld the minister; they might even at this conjuncture become ‘janissaries’ without ever having been ‘renegades’.

1905, Benjamin Disraeli, chapter XV, in Lord George Bentinck: A Political Biography, London: Archibald Constable and Co., →OCLC; republished as Lord George Bentinck: A Political Biography (The Library of Conservative Thought), New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, 1997, →ISBN, page 170:

(figuratively) An elite, highly loyal supporter.


turm

From Middle English turmes pl, from Old French turme, from Latin turma (“troop, squadron, team”).

Thence to the gates caſt round thine eye, and ſee / What conflux iſſuing forth, or entring in: / Pretors, Proconſuls to thir Provinces / Haſting or on return, in robes of State; / Lictors and rods the enſigns of thir power; / Legions and Cohorts, turmes of horſe and wings: […]

1671, John Milton, “The Fourth Book”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 81, lines 61–66:

(obsolete) A group of people, especially a military unit of cavalrymen.


spotter

contrasted with the Übungsleiter m meaning “trainer”

A member of a sniper team who in addition to this function is responsible for providing additional information about targets from a different point of view.


lansquenet

en-noun

lansquenet (countable and uncountable, plural lansquenets)

Borrowed from French lansquenet, from German Landsknecht, from Lands (“of the land”) + Knecht (“servant”). Doublet of Landsknecht.

“I'm through with all pawn-games,” I laughed. “Come, let us have a game of lansquenet. Either I will take a farewell fall out of you or you will have your sevenfold revenge”.

1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter I, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

One could see part of the dimly lit court where under an enclosed poplar two soldiers on a stone bench were playing lansquenet.

And so it was over the game of lansquenet that I scored my first triumph.

1782, Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, translated by Helen Constantine, Dangerous Liaisons, published 2007, page 196:

(uncountable) A gambling card game in which the dealer is given an initial card and the players another; cards are then turned up until the value (rank) of one of those cards is met.


comitadji

From various Balkan languages, all from Ottoman Turkish قومیتهجی (komitacı), from Ottoman Turkish قومیته (komita) from French comité (“committee”) + ـجی (-cı).

der

<i class="Latn mention" lang="tr">komitacı</i>

<i class="Latn mention" lang="tr">komita</i>

For a summer he worked as a comitadji in Macedonia, and later joined the Serbian Army during the Balkan wars.

1942, Rebecca West, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, Canongate, published 2006, page 808:

He was a former comitadji who had been involved in fomenting unrest in Bosnia after the annexation of 1908 and was even rumoured to have commanded guerrilla bands.

2012, Christopher Clark, The Sleepwalkers, Penguin, published 2013, page 61:

(historical) A member of a unit of irregular soldiers or resistance fighters; a partisan.


machine-gunner

(military) Someone who uses a machine gun.


Basij

Transliteration of Persian بسیج (basij).


mortarman

“We have seen in the last three months a significant improvement in the capability of mortarmen and rocketeers to provide accurate fire into the Green Zone and other places,” he said in Baghdad.

2007 July 27, Stephen Farrell, “Bomb Kills 25 in Baghdad After U.S. Cites Security Success”, in New York Times:


taua

A group of Maori warriors sent out as a war party.


light cavalry

(military) A military unit consisting of lightly armed and lightly armored troops mounted on horses.


velite

Borrowed from Latin vēlitēs, plural of vēles.

(historical) A type of Roman infantryman who worked as a skirmisher.


Landsknecht

en-noun

Landsknecht (plural Landsknechts or Landsknechte)

Landsknechts (plural)
Landsknechte (plural)

Borrowed from German Landsknecht, from Lands (“of the land”) + Knecht (“servant”). Doublet of lansquenet.

(historical) Alternative form of lansquenet


kandak

Once a kandak has been trained and equipped, it is posted to an area of the country where it conducts counter-insurgency operations.

2008, John Mackinlay, Terence McNamee, Greg Mills, International peace-building for the 21st century, page 29:

Team Beast was there to advise, assist, and train the Afghan kandak; to increase its operational effectiveness; and to help it enable its brigade.

The kandak was going to raid the village and arrest or kill any enemies they found inside.

2015, Mark Evans, Andrew Sharples, Code Black: Cut off and facing overwhelming odds: the siege of Nad Ali, →ISBN:

A unit in the Afghan army that works in cooperation with American forces.


sotnia

On March 27 Mischtschenko marched from Koksan to Chonju, with 2 sotnias out of the 6 as advance guard.

1908, Reconnaissance in the Russo-Japanese War, page 33:

In the wide plains that lay between the border forests of Russia and Austria, sotnias of Cossacks galloped about, uniformed winds in military order, mounted on the short, nippy horses of their native steppes […].

2002, Josepth Roth, translated by Michael Hofmann, The Radetsky March, Folio Society, published 2015, page 134:

(now historical) A Russian or Ukrainian army unit of about a hundred soldiers, chiefly with reference to Cossacks.


Thin Red Line

William H. Russell, Times Correspondent at the Battle of Balaclava wrote that he could see nothing between the charging Russians and the British regiment's base of operations at Balaclava but the “thin red streak tipped with a line of steel”. The condensed phrase “the thin red line” came to represent British composure in battle.

(historical) The members the 93rd Regiment of the British Army who met the charge of the Russian cavalry at the Battle of Balaclava in 1854.


Tuskegee Airman

Tuskegee Airman (plural Tuskegee Airmen)

These pilots trained at Moton Field Municipal Airport, the Tuskegee Army Air Field and were educated at Tuskegee University, located near Tuskegee, Alabama.

(historical, chiefly in the plural) One of a group of African American military pilots who served during World War II.

Moton Field Municipal Airport
Tuskegee Airmen
Tuskegee University


foreign legion

A military unit of one country that is composed of volunteers from another country.


barrier troops

The Russian president has also claimed Ukraine was using its own barrier troops, “shooting their own soldiers in the back”.

2023 March 27, Pjotr Sauer, “Russian soldiers say commanders used ‘barrier troops’ to stop them retreating”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

Military units that are located in the rear or on the front line to maintain military discipline of the main forces by preventing desertion.